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You might wonder why I do Sponsored Posts. To some, they are the mark of an amateur. To others, they are a viable source of income. Here’s what they are to me.

Freelance Gigs

I’m a freelance writer, and I often take gigs in the tech writing, business writing, and copy writing markets. A sponsored post is merely a quick freelance gig.

Scholarship

The money I make from quickie online writing projects goes into a fund that helps offset the cost of getting newbies online. Sometimes I meet a business owner who is in dire need of an online presence, without the funds to make it happen.

While I’m not a charity, I do like helping folks when I can.

I’ve helped quite a few people get started - when they sign up for my hosting company, I use my affiliate money and sponsored post money to offset the initial tech support. I’ve also helped folks with pro-bono business coaching. Paid posts help me still pay bills, when I do the freebies.

Genuine Recommendation

Most of the time, I only take reviews that I think my international, business, and writing readership will find useful. I also often take sponsorships from causes I want to promote.

It’s like paying it forward. A non-profit sponsors a writeup. They’re exposed to thousands of readers. I get paid. I give time and money to charities.

With all the “making money online” sites out there, I often wonder how they give back for what they’ve received. (Feel free to blog about this on your site & let me know!)

Q. How does Fifty Bucks turn into a life-saving business?

A. Through FINCA aka villagebanking.org.

FINCA makes micro-loans to the worlds poorest women, often mothers, to help them start businesses. The small businesses and home businesses that these micro-loans help start, allow these families to work themselves out of poverty.

Better than 97% of the loans are repaid in full, an amazing detail when I consider the rate of foreclosure in America. [Read more →]